Yemen faces largest cholera crisis in world as health system collapses

August 16, 2017 - 11:57 AMNews Code : 848557Source : SputniknewsLink:

(AhlulBayt News Agency) - According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of suspected cholera cases in war-ravaged Yemen has reached half a million since the start of the ongoing civil war in 2015 between the internationally-recognized Yemeni government and a collection of rebels led by the Shiite Houthis.

The civil conflict, which intensified when a Saudi-led, US-backed coalition launched massive airstrikes against the Houthis in 2015, has killed more than 7,600 people and injured 42,000, placing more than 20 million Yemenis in dire need of humanitarian assistance.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of suspected cholera cases in war-ravaged Yemen has reached half a million since the start of the ongoing civil war in 2015 between the internationally-recognized Yemeni government and a collection of rebels led by the Shiite Houthis.

Some of those infected by the bacterial disease either exhibit no or slight symptoms. However, in severe cases, the disease can become deadly.

One quarter of those who have died from the cholera outbreak and 41 percent of those who have been infected with the disease are children, reported the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

With more than half of all medical facilities in Yemen closed due to the disastrous effects of the war, Yemen's health service has struggled greatly with the country's cholera epidemic.

The number of suspected cholera cases in Yemen is expected to continue to increase and surpass a whopping 600,000 by the end of this year, according to predictions by the International Committee of the Red Cross. the cholera mortality rate with early detection and proper treatment is less than one percent, but rises to 50 to 60 percent if left untreated, according to the WHO.

Last month, UN Humanitarian Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien said that "millions of Yemeni civilians — women, children and men — continue to be exposed to unfathomable pain and suffering" at the hands of the epidemic.

The International Rescue Committee and 20 other humanitarian organizations have pleaded with the UN Security Council to order an immediate ceasefire in Yemen, to no avail.